Cotton tramper and sweep mechanism



June 3, 1958 D. D. DAY 2 COTTON TRAMPER AND SWEEP MECHANISM Filed Nov. 1'7, 1954 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 3, 1958 D. D. DAY 2,837,022

COTTON TRAMPER AND SWEEP MECHANISM Filed Nov. 17, 1954 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 l I L I IIIIL] 1 p .w M

June 3, 1958 D. D. DAY

COTTON TRAMPER AND SWEEP MECHANISM Filed Nov. 17, 1954 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 J I l I l l D. D. DAY

COTTON TRAMPER AND SWEEP MECHANISM June 3, 1958 6 Sheets-Sheet 4,

Filed Nov. 17, 1954 Z zzz eiwiai- June 3, 1958 D. D. DAY

COTTON TRAMPER AND SWEEP MECHANISM Filed NOV. 17, 1954 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 June 3, 1958 D. D. DAY

COTTON TRAMPER AND SWEEP MECHANISM 6 SheetZQSZ-met 6 A Filed Nov. 17, 1954 zyj/ ' jizz ezzzazgz fip HEHNHNAM w urw 1 A M dew a United States Patent Ofiice 2,837,322 Patented June 3, 1958 COTTON TRAMPER AND SWEEP MECHANISM Dewey D. Day, Dallas, Tex., assignor to The Murray Company of Texas, Inc., Dallas, Tex., a corporation of Delaware Application November 17, 1954, Serial No. 469,331

12 Claims. (Cl. 100--215) This invention relates to cotton presses and more especially to apparatus known as a tramper, the function of which is to compact the cotton in the press box preliminary to toe actual pressing operation. Customarily, the cotton is removed from the gin by an air current and conveyed to a condenser where the lint is separated from the air. The cotton is discharged from the condenser in bat form, sliding down a lint slide and into a sweep hopper in which there is a revolving moving arm which scrapes the cotton from the sweep hopper into the press box. The tramper comprises a foot which moves up and down in the press box. While the foot is near the upper limit of its travel, the cotton is scraped out of the sweep hopper into the press box. In prior devices of this type, wherein the tramper foot is moved by mechanical means, the foot is moved rapidly while near the upper end of its path of travel, so that there is not much time for the cotton to be transferred from the sweep hopper into the box, and accordingly the parts which move the cotton from the sweep hopper into the box must move so very rapidly that there is a tendency to tear apart the bat of cotton instead of merely advancing it smoothly into the box, with the result that the cotton is not evenly disposed in the box, making the bale tighter on one side than on the other.

In certain hydraulically operated trampers, provision has been made for delaying the downward stroke of the tramper foot to give more time for the cotton to be swept into the box, but hydraulic devices of this sort are very expensive and complicated.

{)ne obiect of the present invention is to provide for the desired delay action in a machine of a customary mechanical type, that is to say, a machine in which the tramper foot is moved up and down mechanically (as contrasted with hydraulic actuating means) for example, as herein disclosed, by a pitman which receives its motion from an endless chain traveling over sprocket wheels. in accordance with the present invention, the sprocket wheels which guide the chain are so arranged that when that link of the chain to which the pitman rod is connected nears the upper part of its path of travel, it is caused to move in a lateral direction for a substantial distance before it begins its downward movement. During this lateral motion of said chain link, the crank pin moves substantially horizontally so that during this period the pitman rod does not move up or down to any substantial extent. Thus the tramper foot dwells in its elevated position, giving sumcient time for the sweeping of the cotton into the press box.

A further object is to provide an arrangement such that when the tramper foot is moving down, during its operative stroke, the crank pin carried by the chain moves vertically down along a substantially rectilinear path thus minimizing transverse components of force such as would produce undue stresses and wear.

A further object is to provide novel means for operat ing the parts which sweep the cotton into the press box 2 so as to take advantage of the dwell of the tramper foot in the up position and thus secure the smoothest possible delivery of cotton into the box. A further object is to provide means whereby the sweep arm always stops in a predetermined position.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be pointed out in the following detailed description and by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a front elevation, more or less diagrammatic in character and with parts broken away and others shown in broken lines, illustrating the tramper mecha nism of the present invention, the tramper foot being shown in full lines in its most elevated position at the top of the press box and in broken lines at its lowermost position, the sweep hopper and the sweep actuating mechanism also being shown;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation to much larger scale than Fig. 1, with parts broken away and with certain parts in vertical section, showing the tramper foot, the means for guiding the foot in its up and down motion, and the delayed action drive means for reciprocating the tramper foot;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the apparatus of Fig. 1, to the same scale as Fig. 2 and with parts broken away and others in vertical section, viewed from the right-hand side of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section, substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2, showing a bearing in which slides one of the guide rods for the tramper foot and the rod which governs the operation of the sweep arm;

Fig. 5 is an elevation, to larger scale than Fig. 5, showing the bearing of Fig. 5 as viewed from the right;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section, to larger scale, on the line 66 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary elevation to larger scale than Fig. 1, showing a portion of the mechanism for operating the sweep, viewed from its rear;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary vertical section on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary front elevation, to larger scale than Fig. 1, showing the sweep hopper and the sweep actuating parts;

Fig. 10 is a view looking from the right-hand side of Fig. 9, showing the parts illustrated in Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary front elevation, generally similar to Fig. 9, but omitting parts thereby more clearly to show the sweep arm, and

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary side elevation, showing the sweep arm and its actuating shaft.

Referring to the drawings, the character T (Fig.1) designates generally the tramper mechanism of the present invention, this tramper mechanism being shown as arranged above the press box B and mounted upon the l-beam 2% and 21 with the sweep hopper H arranged at the rear of the press box and in position to deliver cotton bat into the upper part of the press box. A reduction gear casing 22 (Figs. 2 and 3) is mounted on the I-beams 2i and 21, this casing having bearings for the horizontal drive shaft 23, which may receive a pulley not shown, whereby the shaft 23 may be belt driven in customary manner by a belt which embraces a pulley on an overhead power shaft (not shown). Within the casing 22 appropriate gearing (not shown) is provided, for example, a worm and wheel, thereby to drive a horizontal shaft 24 (Fig. 3) whose axis is at right angles to that of the shaft 23, at the desired low speed for operation of the tramper foot. The shaft 24 extends outwardly from opposite sides of the casing 22 and sprocket wheels 25 and 26 (Fig. 2) are fixed to the opposite ends respectively asszoaa Those of these sprocket wheels which are located at the opposite sides respectivel of the column 27 are in the same vertical planes as the sprocket wheels 25 and 26, respectively, carried by the shaft 24. Endless sprocket chains 36 and 37 (Fig. 2) embrace the sprocket wheels 25 and 26, respectively, each chain extending upwardly (Fig. 3) from its respective sprocket 25 or 26 and engaging the inner peripheral portions of the sprockets 32 and 35 and then extending upwardly and embracing the outer portions of the sprockets 33 and 34. The sprocket wheels 32 and 35 are so located that those portions of the respective chains which extend from the sprocket wheels' 25 and 26 upwardly to the sprockets 32 and 35 are sub-- stantially vertical and parallel. On the other hand, the sprocket wheels 32 and 33 are so relatively arranged that the run 36 of the chain, extending from the wheel 32 to the wheel 33, slopes forwardly and upwardly at an angle, for example, of approximately 45 to the horizontal. The sprocket wheels 33 and 34 are so relatively arranged that the run 36 of the chain which extends from the wheel 33 to the wheel 34 is horizontal or but slightly inclined to the horizontal, while the sprocket wheels 34 and 35 are so arranged that, as the chain leaves the sprocket wheel 34, it is delivered onto the sprocket wheel 35 so that, in leaving the latter, it forms the vertical rear run 36. V At opposite sides of the reduction gear casing 22 rigid bearing members 38 and 39 (Fig. 2) respectively, are mounted on the l-beams 20 and 21. Each of these bearing members 38 and 39 is provided with spaced upper and lower bearings for slidably guiding rigid rods 42 and 43 respectively (Fig. 2), these rods extending downwardly between the I-beams 20 and 21 and having their lower ends bolted to the opposite ends of the tramper foot F (Fig. 2). This tramper foot may be of conventional construction and need not be described in detail. As shownin Fig. 1, the upper ends of the guide rods 43 are connected to a plate 44 to which a conventional lint gate 45 is attached. 7

Each of the sprocket chains 36 and 37 is provided with a special link, 46 and 47 respectively (Fig. 2), carrying a horizontal crank pin 48 and 49 respectively, to which the upper ends of tubular connecting rods or pitmen 50 and 51 are pivotallyattached. The lower ends of these connecting rods or pitmen '50 and 51 are provided with tubular heads 52 and 53 which receive pivot pins 54 by means of which they are pivotally secured to brackets 55 fixed to the tramper foot. With this arrangement rotation of the shaft 23 causes the chains to move slowly, carrying the crank pins 48 and 49 (which are always axially aligned) and thus, through the connecting rods or pitme'n 50 and 51, moving the tramper foot up and down, the tramper foot being constrained to move in a rectilinear vertical path by the guide rods 42 and 43 which'slide in the rigid bearing members 38 and 39. The motion of the sprocket chains is in the direction of the arrow A, Fig. 3, and thus the crank pins 48 and 49 move 7 33 to the sprocket wheel 34, the tramper foot dwells in approximately its uppermost position, the length of the run 36 of the chain being such that the tramper foot remains in this uppermost position for a period sufliciently long to permit the desired operation of the parts associated with the sweep hopper to insure the smooth delivery of the bat from the sweep hooper into the upper part of the press box. Because the run 36 of the sprocket chain is substantially vertical, between the sprocket wheel 35 and the sprocket wheel 25, this being that portion of the chain which is efiective in'moving the tramper foot downwardly in the press box with operative pressure, the stress thus imparted has little, if any, component of force acting in the horizontal direction,

' thus minimizing Wear and strain on all guide elements of the mechanism which might result from side thrust if the active run of the chain were inclined to the vertical. 7 The sweep hopper H is of generally conventional form, except for the drive means of the sweep arm about to be described, and is arranged to receive lint cotton in the form of a bat which is delivered by a condenser of conventional type (not illustrated) onto the lint slide 61 (Fig. l). The sweep hopper, as illustrated in Fig. 1, is mounted at the rear side of the press box B and has an arcuate bottom wall 61 coaxial with a shaft 62 mounted in suitable bearings within the hopper and which carries the sweep arms A (Figs. 11 and 12) carrying the flexible sweep S (for example of leather) whose free edge resiliently contacts the'inner surface of the bottom wall 61 0f the hopper H. I

It is very important, from the standpoint of producing a bale which is uniformly'packed throughout its width and which provides a sample of the best appearance that the bat be fed into the press box in a definite manner. First, the sweep S must be operated at a sufficiently low speed to prevent the tearing of the bat as it is moved forwardly into the press boxotherwise the bat Will be torn and the bale will have a rough appearance and be tighter on one sidethan on the other. The above arrangement for delaying the down stroke of the tramper foot provides approximately two seconds for the operation of the sweep, thus making it possible gently to fold the bat as it is delivered into the press box. Secondly, it is desirable to stop the sweep at the same position each time in order that when it starts again the same amount of cotton will be stored on the slide in readiness to be moved into the press box.

For thus actuating the sweep, the bracket 55 by which the pi'tman 51 is connected to the tramper foot, has a sleeve portion 63, Fig. 3, in which is fixed the lower end of a rigid vertical rod 64 which is guided to move vertically by passing through vertically spaced bearings 65 and 65 Fig. 5, in the bearing member 38, this red having a smoothly rounded upper end 64 as shown in Fig. l. A rigid frame 65, Figs. 1- and 7, is mounted upon the I-beams 2t} and 21 at the right-hand side of the casing 22, and this frame carries bearings for a horizontal shaft 66. A lever 70, fixed to the shaft 66 carries bearings for a shaft 69, parallel to shaft 66 on which is fixed a pulley 67, having a grooved periphery'6S- The lever member 70-has an arm 71, fixedrelatively to the shaft 66, which is pivotally connected, at the point 72, to the lower end of a rod 73 having a screwthreaded upper end portion 74, which receives an adjustable stop nut 75, Figs. 7 and 8. A lever 76 (Fig. 1) is pivoted at 77 to the frame 65. and at one end is provided with a swivel member 78 having an opening for the passage of the screw-threaded upper end of the rod 73. At its opposite end (Fig. l) the lever 76 is provided with a second swivel member 79 having an opening for the passage of a rod 80 provided at its upper end with.

an adjustable stop nut 81 and having a coiled compression spring interposed between the nut 81 and the swivel member 79 and a similar spring between the swivel memher and a fixed collar 83 on the rod 80. The lower end of the rod 80 is fixed to or integral with an elongate rigid member 84- (Figs. 1 and 9) which extends down along the outside of the end wall of the sweep hopper H and is pivotally connected at 85, at its lower end, to a lever 86 pivoted at 87 to a bracket 88 mounted on the frame of the sweep hopper. A pulley 89 (Figs. 1, 9 and 10) is mounted on a shaft 90 supported in bearings arranged above the sweep hopper H, the shaft 90 being driven by gearing, not shown, from a shaft carrying a belt driven pulley 91.

The shaft 62 which carries the sweep is provided with a pulley 92 in the same plane as the pulley 89, and an endless belt 93 embraces these two pulleys, the sweep actuating means as thus far described being conventional and the belt which drives pulley 91, as is usual in tramper mechanisms, embraces a pulley on the same overhead power shaft which drives the shaft 23. A belt tightening pulley 94 is carried by the free end of the lever 86 and is arranged to engage the outer surface of belt 93. At a point intermediate its ends and immediately above the shaft 62 the lever 86 carries a cam follower roll 94 which, at times, engages the peripheral edge of a cam 95 fixed to the shaft 62, the lever 86 being urged in a clockwise direction by a spring 96. The cam 95 has a peripheral dwell portion 97 and a depressed portion 98. The radius of the dwell portion 97 is such that when the cam follower roll 94 engages this dwell portion, the belt tensioning pulley 94 will so engage the belt 93 as to tension the latter sufficiently to transmit motion from the pulley 89 to the pulley 92, but when the cam follower roll 94 is opposed to the depressed portion 98 of the cam, the spring 96 then becomes effective to rock the lever 86 downwardly and thus release the tension on the belt 93, in consequence of which the shaft 62 will stop.

The operation of the sweep actuating mechanism just described is substantially as follows. When the tramper foot F rises, the rod 64 moves upwardly at the same time, and when the foot nears the upper end of its stroke, the upper end 64 of rod 64 engages the grooved edge of the pulley 67 and by reason of the location of the path of movement of the rod 64 with reference to the axis of the pulley 67, such engagement of the upper end of the rod 64 with the pulley will rock the lever 70 upwardly thus rocking the shaft 66 and thus moving the lever 71 in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 8. This pulls the rod 73 (Fig. 8) downwardly and so rocks the lever 76, Fig. 1, in a counterclockwise direction, thereby compressing the spring 82 and lifting the connecting member 84. This swings the lever 86 upwardly, bringing the belt tightening pulley 94 into engagement with the belt 93 and thus tensioning the latter sufiiciently to cause the pulley 92 to be driven, thereby actuating the sweep. Thus the sweep starts as the tramper foot nears the upper end of its stroke. So long as the tramper foot dwells at the upper end of its stroke, the rod 64 holds the lever 70 in position to keep the belt taut, and this is sufiiciently long to turn the sweep shaft 62 through three or four revolutions before the tramper foot starts downwardly, thus smoothly moving the cotton bat at a safe velocity into the press box to avoid tearing it. The timing of the parts is such that when the tramper foot begins its downward motion, the dwell portion 97 of the cam 95 has been turned so as to underlie the cam follower roll 94. Thus, when the tramper foot starts to move downwardly and the rod 6- moves down with it, thus releasing the lever 70 to resume its normal position, the arm 86 will still be held in its upward position by engagement of the roll 94 with the cam dwell 97, and thus continuing the operation of the sweep until in its downward motion the tramper foot nears the field of action of the sweep. At this instant the low portion 98 of the cam 95 comes beneath the cam follower roll 94 and the latter is permitted to drop, allowing the spring 96 to swing the lever 86 downwardly, thus releasing the tension on the belt, whereupon the sweep stops at a definite position as related to the cycle of operation of the tramper foot.

While one desirable embodiment of the invention has herein been disclosed by way of example, it is to be understood that the invention is. broadly inclusive of any and all modifications falling within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a cotton tramper of the kind wherein a tramper foot is guided to move in a rectilinear vertical path and mechanical motion-transmitting means transmits motion from a constantly turning drive shaft to the tramper foot, the motion-transmitting means being constructed and arranged to cause the tramper foot to dwell for a predetermined period of time when at the upper end of its path of travel, said motion-transmitting means including an endless, constantly moving sprocket chain, a rigid pitman pivotally connected at its lower end to the tramper foot and at its upper end to a crank pin carried by one link of the chain, in combination, means for guiding a run of the chain to move in a substantially horizontal path and another run of the chain to move in a substantially vertical path, a crank pin carried by one link of the chain, and means connecting the crank pin to the tramper foot, the means for guiding the chain comprising two sprocket wheels engaging opposite sides respectively, of the chain and turning about parallel, horizontal axes located at one side of the path of travel of the tramper foot, said wheels being so constructed and arranged as to define said down-going run of the chain.

2. In a cotton tramper of the kind-wherein a tramper foot is guided to move in a rectilinear vertical path and mechanical motion-transmitting means transmits motion from a constantly turning drive shaft to the tramper foot, the motion-transmitting means being constructed and arranged to cause the tramper foot to dwell for a predetermined period of time when at the upper end of its path of travel, said motion-transmitting means including an endless, constantly moving sprocket chain, a rigid pitman pivotally connected at its lower end to the tramper foot and at its upper end to a crank pin carried by one link of the chain, in combination, means for guiding a run of the chain to move in a substantially horizontal path and another run of the chain to move in a substantially vertical path, a crank pin carried by one link of the chain, and means connecting the crank pin to the tramper foot, the means for guiding the sprocket chain comprising a driven sprocket wheel and four guiding sprocket wheels, the driven sprocket wheel and two of said guiding sprocket wheels defining substantially parallel, vertical runs of the chain, two of the guide sprocket wheels defining an upwardly and forwardly inclined run of the chain, two of the guide sprocket wheels defining a substantially horizontal run of the chain, and two of the guide sprocket wheels defining a downwardly and rearwardly inclined run of the chain, the parts being so arranged that when the tramper foot is moving downwardly the crank pin is in one of the said vertical runs of the chain.

3. A cotton tramper of the kind wherein a tramper foot is moved up and down along a vertical rectilinear path by means including a constantly moving endless sprocket chain and wherein a sweep, carried by a rotary shaft, delivers cotton into the space below the tramper foot while the latter is at the upper part of its path of travel, means for initiating rotation of the sweep shaft as the tramper foot nears the end of its upward travel, means for delaying the downward motion of the tramper foot after it reaches the upper end of its path of travel for a sufficiently long period of time to permit the sweep to complete a plurality of revolutions, and means whereby the sweep is always stopped in the same position while the tramper foot is moving downwardly.

4. A cotton tramper according to claim 3, wherein 7 means for stopping the sweep-in the same position comprises a cam mounted on the sweep shaft. 7

5. A cotton tramper comprising a tramper foot which is guided to mov e up and down along a vertical, rectilinear path, means for moving the tramper foot including a pitman, means for imparting reciprocating motion to the pitman, a sweep for delivering cotton into the space below the tramper foot while the latter is at the upper part of its path of travel, means for initiating movement of the sweep when the tramper foot reaches a predetermined point in its upward path of travel, means for delaying the downward motion of the tramper foot, after it reaches the upper limit of its path of travel, and means for continuing the operation of the sweep after the tramper foot has passed said predetermined point during its downward motion thereby to provide suflicient time for the sweep to operate. 7

6. A cotton tramper of the kind wherein a tramper foot is guided to move in a rectilinear, vertical. path, and mechanical motion-transmitting means transmits motion from a constantly turning drive shaft to the tramper foot and wherein a sweep delivers cotton into the space beneath the tramper foot while the latter is at the upper portion of its path of travel, a rotary shaft for actuating the sweep, means for driving said shaft including a constantly running, but normally loose, endless belt, and means, including a starter element, which moves up and down in time with the tramper foot, operative, as the tramper foot reaches a predetermined point in its upward travel, for tightening the belt, thereby to start the sweep shaft into rotation, and means to continue the rotation of the sweep shaft after said starting element has passed said predetermined point in the downward travel of the tramper foot.

7. A cotton tramper according to claim 6, wherein the belt tightening means comprises a belt-engaging pulley mounted on a lever arm, and the starter element which moves up and down with the tramper foot, rocks said lever thereby to press the pulley against the belt and so tighten the latter.

8. A cotton tramper according to claim 7, further characterized in that the means for continuing the rotation of the sweep shaft after the starter element has passed said predetermined point during the downward travel of the tramper foot comprises a cam which is mounted on the shaft which actuates the sweep and a cam follower roll on the pulley-supporting lever, the parts being so constructed and arranged that when the tramper foot starts down, the cam, by engagement with said roll, holds the lever in belt-tightening position until, by the turning of the cam, the roll is permitted to drop.

9. A cotton tramper of the kind wherein a tramper foot is moved up and down along a rectilinear vertical path by'means including a pitman and means for imparting reciprocating motion to the pitman, and wherein, a rotary shaft carries a sweep which is operative to deliver cotton into the space below the tramper foot while the latter is at the upper part of its path of travel, means for driving the sweep shaft including a pulley fixed to said shaft and a constantly moving endless belt passing about said pulley but which is normally too loose to drive the pulley, a lever which supports a belt-tightening pulley, a spring normally urging the lever in a direction to make the belt-tightening pulley inoperative, and means for moving the lever in the opposite direction, thereby to tighten the belt, said means for moving the lever comprising a starter element which moves up and down in time with the tramper foot, means engageable by said part, as the latter passes a predetermined point in the upward travel of the tramper foot, for moving the lever which carries the belt tightening pulley in a direction such as to tighten the belt and thereby start the rotation of the sweep shaft, and means for continuing rotation of the sweep shaft after said starter element has moved downwardly past said predetermined point during the downward travel of the tramper foot.

10. A cotton tramper according to claim 9, wherein the means for transmitting motion from the starter element which moves up and down with the tramper footto the lever which carries the belt-tightening pulley includes.

a resiliently yieldable element.

r 11. A cotton tramper according to claim 9, wherein the means for transmitting motion from the starter element which moves up and down with the tramper foot to the lever which carries the belt-tightening pulley includes lost motion connections such as to permit the belt-tightening lever to remain in operative position after the starter element which moves up and down with the tramper foot has begun its downward motion.

12. A cotton tramper according to claim 11, wherein the means for continuing rotation of the sweep shaft after the starter element has passed said predetermined point during the downward travel of the tram-per foot comprising cam means operative to hold the belt-tightening lever in its operative position after the tramper foot starts down until the tramper foot has passed said predetermined point in its downward path of travel.

References Cited in the file of this patent I UNITED STATES PATENTS 1.513,458 Jacob Oct. 28, 1924 1,571,163 Rohlf Jan. 26, 1926 1,710,942 Nixon Apr. 30, 1929 1,978,582 Jones Oct. 30, 1934 2,367,466 Loy Jan. 16, 1945 

